Are your pets spayed/neutered?

My Elmo is neutered but I sometimes regret having done that to him. I thought it was a responsible thing to do as a pet owner but I now think maybe it was also cruel. My hubby feels bad for him, too as a fellow male mammal.

If I ever get another dog...I think I'll leave it au naturelle...

If you think it's crazy, you ain't seen a thing. Just wait until we're goin down in flames.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

Why do you regret it and why 'cruel'? Uncastrated male dogs are more aggressive, territorial, harder to discipline and more likely to go roaming in order impregnate other dogs with unwanted puppies. Both my male dogs were castrated as soon as possible because unless you are a breeder it IS the responsible thing to do. One of them in particular could have been a showdog but I never plan to get involved in THAT psycho world so it does not matter that he's been fixed. Forget what human males think/say - they are totally obsessed with their dicks anyway and it's ridiculous to 'project' those feelings onto a dog. Oh and yes, my husband had a vasectomy too LOL

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

I agree with Killjoy. Both my dogs were spayed/neutered after I got them from the pound. The pounds are filled with unneutered dogs. I've never seen a neutered one in there. Unneutered dogs are much more likely to stray/get lost, because they are roaming to fight other dogs or mate. They also tend to have more behavior problems (marking in the house, humping, aggression) that cause them to end up in the pound. Neutering/spaying prevents certain types of cancers. Also, remember that dogs, unlike humans, don't grow up dreaming of having a family one day. Maybe they dream of getting an extra helping of dog food, in my house, but they don't really have grander ambitions, so I don't think either one of them felt like they "lost" something.

And the point about breeding is a very good one, which I say as the owner of a Peke that probably came from a puppy mill, and has practically every health problem that Pekes are inclined to get. Everytime I get a $400 vet bill (epilepsy, arthritis, eye problems, disk problems) I think, "Well, at least the dog was almost free, since he's been costing me a fortune ever since."

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

I kind of regret it cuz Elmo seems forever traumatized by the vet ever since...he starts shivering when we even drive by the vet hospital or when I say the word doctor's...
I don't think he could've impregnated any dogs cuz A. we live in an apartment so he can never escape and go looking for bitches , B. he hates other dogs, C. I could probablly stop him if he started humping a dog that he came across at a park or something...
But who knows what he would do if the urge was so strong, I guess.
Elmo is getting old (gonna be 9 yrs old this month) and I sometimes think maybe it would be nice if he could have had his own puppies, kinda like a legacy, so that I'd still have something that's part of him if he ever leaves me...He's my baby...(k, got emotional here a little, gonna go give him a big hug and a snuggle now).

If you think it's crazy, you ain't seen a thing. Just wait until we're goin down in flames.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

Sorry moomies but PURLEEZE - Do you seriously think that Elmo would have liked to have had his own puppies as a 'legacy'? I know YOU would, but that's entirely different. He's a DOG - he doesn't care! In any event, if you have a great dog you won't necessarily get great puppies - just like with people LOL. You are anthropomorphising here - long word - it means projecting human characteristics onto animals. And most animals hate going to the vet - usually because they pick up the vibes of their stressed out owners. I guarantee Elmo is not remembering the 'trauma' of losing his balls.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

Originally Posted by A*O

In any event, if you have a great dog you won't necessarily get great puppies - just like with people LOL.

So true! Reminds me... I can't understand the crazy people who want to spend massive amounts of money to CLONE their pets...I don't see how even a clone would be guaranteed a similar personality. So many environmental factors are involved. One of my dogs, sadly, had her back broken by her previous owner, which I'm sure has contributed to her extremely quirky personality. Quirky but mostly lovable. I don't think you could clone her and replicate that personality.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get your pets fixed. There are tons of benefits to it, including health benefits (preventing several types of cancer in males and females, and prevents males' prostate from enlarging as they age) And you're avoiding accidental puppies, and you don't have to deal with them going into breeding mode. Males have a tendancy to mark up your house with urine when they haven't been fixed, too. I feel like it's must be harder on them having to feel "amourous" and not have any outlet for it, than it is to just not have those feelings at all.

Breeding your dog is ok I guess, but IMO, only if you're going to keep the puppies. I really don't believe in producing more dogs that are going to go out in to the world and add to the overpopulation problem. There are SO many homeless dogs... I don't feel like we need to make more. But that's just how I feel about it.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

For all those people who say, "I want my dog/cat to have offspring at least once so my kids can experience it," a trip to the pound should be mandatory to see all the unwanted former offspring whose future it is to be killed. Perhaps their children should have that experience as well.

This isn't about you, Moomies, just irresponsible people like that in general.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

I hear what you guys are saying. I was just feeling guilty, selfish and childish. I was having one of those "what if" moments.
I understand everything you guys have said and I agree. That's how I thought and decided to have Elmo neutered in the first place (this was my logical side of the brain in control) but I had to wonder what it would've been like had he not been neutered (my emotional side talking).

If you think it's crazy, you ain't seen a thing. Just wait until we're goin down in flames.

Re: Are your pets spayed/neutered?

They are much better off for it. It lowers the risk of cancers in both sexes and it's much easier for them to be pets.

My husband has friends who refuse to have their dog spayed. She was having litters of 6 or more and because they took the puppies to a "no-kill" shelter, they felt they were being responsible. I tried reasoning with them but all they would say was "it's an elective surgery that puts my dog at risk and there is no proof that spaying the dog provides long term benefits", in other words, they're complete jackasses.